Nearly 24 hours after the decision of the city of Grenoble to authorize the wearing of the burkini in its municipal swimming pools, Gérald Darmanin reacted. “Mr. Piolle, support of Mr. Mélenchon, plays the unacceptable community provocation, contrary to our values”tweeted the Minister of the Interior of the resigning government. “I have instructed the prefect to refer the deliberation allowing the wearing of the “Burkini” to “secularism” and, if necessary, to request its withdrawal”he added.
Mr. Piolle, support of Mr. Melenchon, plays the unacceptable community provocation, contrary to our values. I have do… https://t.co/qktK3q4140
The Grenoble city council, led by the environmental mayor Eric Piolle, validated Monday by a small majority a modification of the internal regulations of the swimming poolsresulting in the authorization to wear the burkini.
The prefectoral referral mentioned by Mr. Darmanin is part of the control of the legality of the acts of local authorities.
“Reread the 1905 law”
“Darmanin, the minister who has the separatism law as his record, who finds Marine Le Pen too soft, rebels against the halal and kosher shelves of stores, allows himself to give lessons? Re-read the 1905 law, rather than twisting it”, reacted Mr. Piolle on Twitter.
The prefect of Isère had already indicated on Sunday evening, before the deliberation of the municipal council, that he would seize the administrative court of Grenoble to block the measure, on the instruction of Gérald Darmanin. To do this, he should call on a provision introduced by the law on separatism passed in August 2021, which concerns acts relating to “seriously undermining the principle of secularism and neutrality of the public service”.
Mr. Piolle, who invoked a fight “feminist”of ” health “ and of “secularism”said on Monday “glad that the government is attacking us”noting that he had no “not attacked Rennes” when this city made a similar arrangement four years ago.
The wearing of the burkini was claimed by the controversial association Citizen Alliance, which since 2019 has organized several punch operations in Grenoble swimming pools to get its message across.
The president (Les Républicains) of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Laurent Wauquiez, accused Eric Piolle of“definitively record its break with secularism and the values of our Republic” and announced that the Region’s subsidies to the municipality would be cut.